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Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Baked Fish, Two Ways, with Cucumber Dill Salad

I don't have time for a long post today, but just wanted to share a simple way to make a healthy, delicious dinner. I usually try to eat fish once or twice a week because it is good for you; one of those meals is often salmon. I used to be nervous about cooking any other kinds of fish. It always turned out too dry, flavorless, or worst of all, fishy. I finally have a fairly fool proof way of cooking my fish. It works with any kind of white fish and you just adjust the time up or down a few minutes based on how thick your piece of fish is. There's no mess and you can cook your veggies right in with your fish! This goes nicely with a salad.

In my recipes I like to use Mahi Mahi fillets; I buy them individually frozen in a large bag at CostCo. First, thaw your fish. Rinse it and set it on a large sheet of nonstick foil. Sprinkle with just a few drops of lemon juice or use thin slices of fresh lemon. Season to taste; you can use Cajun seasoning, garlic pepper, a thin slice of onion, whatever you like! I use parsley and Mrs. Dash because it is sodium-free. Next add your fat serving... either a teaspoon of olive oil drizzled on top or a half tablespoon of butter thinly sliced over the fish. Add any vegetables you like to the packet. Asparagus would be nice, or even Italian canned tomatoes or broccoli. In this version I used quartered fresh mushrooms.

Wrap your foil packet gently and loosely around the fish and veggies and seal shut by crimping the edges of the foil. Use a second sheet if necessary. Pop it in the toaster oven (or big oven) at 400 degrees for about 12 minutes. My fish was thick so took about 13-14 minutes; a thin fillet would take less time, perhaps 10 minutes. Check your fish for doneness by opening the packet and trying to flake the fish with a fork in the thickest part. It is done when it flakes but is still moist. Don't overcook! This should be soft, moist and flavorful.

Here is version two, topped with a scallion mixture (light mayonnaise mixed with chopped green onions, black pepper, and dried dill). I placed the fish on a foil lined cookie sheet and baked it at 400 degrees for about 12 minutes. I served it with one of my favorites: cucumber dill salad (thinly sliced cucumbers, 2 Tbsp sour cream, a few shakes of dill, black pepper, onion powder and sea salt, and a splash of white vinegar, marinated for a few hours):

By the way, if you are going to make cucumber salad very often, invest in a mandoline. It is so nice to have a pile of thinly, uniformly sliced veggies in under a minute! I am so over using a kitchen knife for this!

I hope you'll give this fish a try. If you have a favorite veggie or seasoning for your fish, leave me a comment! I love experimenting with recipes.

I do tilapia and catfish sprayed with olive oil pam and sprinkled with cayenne and sea salt until crispy at 425.

salmon I spray with same ingredients and when done dot with a little butter and fresh basil or dill leaves. other times with grey poupon 'old style' with the seeds thinly coated on top and I scatter sliced asparagus with a sprinkle of feta. baked at 400 until ready and then when out I dot salmon with a thin slice of butter.

Lyn, I recently heard a chef on television say there is health risk associated with baking in foil. She said you can use foil but the food shouldn't be directly touching it (she suggested using parchment paper to line the foil). I don't know the veracity of this but I know how concerned you are with these things so I thought I would mention it and you could research it if you are interested.

Anonymous, I used to use olive oil Pam but I recently switched to using one of the spray bottles designed for the purpose filled with high quality extra virgin olive oil. It works just as well if not better and you get much higher quality oil on your food. Plus no lecithin, diglycerides, silicone, soy or propellant. It is also cheaper than Pam. Just some "food" for thought. (groan)

wow, that's a surprise! I will definitely look into it. Seems like everything is hazardous these days doesn't it?? I think the fish could be cooked in a parchment packet, without the foil. I will have to try it. Thanks!

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Who IS this person?

I am 38 years old, female, a degree-holding stay-at-home-mom, and I weigh 278 pounds. I have been obese for ten years now. Time to get out of this fat prison I have made for myself.
--This is the original introduction I wrote when I first started this blog in 2007. I leave it as a reminder to myself of where I came from. Currently, I am 46 years old and weigh significantly less...see the blog for details. I lost 103 pounds, then had a partial regain, and am once again working at weight loss and better health.

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